16th - 19th September. Map of France. We sail into Montargis and on along the Canal du Loing, picking lots of walnuts and sloes. On past Nemours to Moret-sur-Loing, joining the river Seine to go upstream to Montereau-Fault-Yonne.

The white line shows our route in France since the beginning of June. We are not too far from Paris, but are leaving that visit for next year.

Our next town on the Canal du Loing is Montargis, where the church of the Madeleine dominated this end of town.

At the other end of town the Chateau de Montargis towers ahead of us. This was built in the 12th Century. The weather was too wet to do much here, and we suffered from some not very Irish hospitality, when a boater, sheltering under her spacious awning, did not invite us in for our chat. She was very chatty, so we were soaked!

These are houses by the canal in Montargis, to show the shutters are open at last, at the end of a hot summer.

Along this stretch of the canal are many walnut trees, and often the best way to harvest them is from the roof of The Puzzler.

As the green husks are just opening, some walnuts are falling, while others are still on the tree.

Further on, we also found some sloes, for making sloe gin. Have we picked too many??

These are Poitou donkeys, and a horse, which have escaped from their field on to the tow path.

The Loing river front is attractive in Nemours, where we stopped for shopping.

Out of town, this is how the other half lives!

Barge Sebastien is empty, so really fills the lock.

We had to change our plans, and bypass an attractive mooring, due to this fallen tree in the canal. Tomorrow this pound is to be closed so that it can be cleared.